ArmInfo. The consistent integration of Azerbaijan and Turkey, in fact, into a single military-political and economic space already formed between them, significantly reduced the potential of Iran in the northern direction. Iranist Vardan Voskanyan expressed a similar opinion to ArmInfo.
"In this light, from Tehran's point of view, today all these processes within the framework of the Turkish ideology of Pan-Turkism have given Armenia, in general, and the Syunik region, in particular, in the eyes of Iran, a priority character. Among other things, this is evident in Tehran's intentions, that is, in no case to allow the implementation of the next link in the pan-Turkist chain - the project of the so-called "Zangezur Corridor", he noted.
According to the expert, today Iran's interest in preventing the implementation of such a project is practically in no way inferior to Armenia's interest. Voskanyan explains such Tehran sentiments by the fact that if the "Zangezur" part of the pan-Turkic dreams of Aliyev and Erdogan comes true, Iran will no doubt lose its ground connection with Armenia and further north. Meanwhile, this is precisely the very red line that Tehran periodically declares with reference to the inadmissibility of violating the territorial integrity of Armenia.
Voskanyan considers Tehran's interest in the full-scale exploitation of the Meghri free economic zone to be another component of Iranian interest in Armenia. Which, in his words, was especially emphasized by the Iranian side following the recent Tehran meeting of Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and new Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi. In particular, the Meghri FEZ is important for Tehran as an intermediate, important link for cooperation between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union.
On August 5, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan paid a working visit to Iran. Thus, the visit to Tehran became Pashinyan's first foreign visit after his reassignment. At a meeting with Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi, Pashinyan discussed the issues of using the free economic zone in Meghri and the free trade regime with the EAEU. The Iranian President accepted Pashinyan's invitation to visit Armenia. According to the Iranian expert, Iran also stressed the interest of Iran in Armenia's participation in the partially implemented project of the North-South transport corridor linking the Persian Gulf with the Black Sea.
According to Voskanyan, in the light of the latest manifestations of Turkish expansion, the Meghri FEZ and North-South are not only of economic importance for Iran, but also acquire an additional component in terms of ensuring the country's national security.
"That is why Iran today is actively trying to strengthen the ground connection with Armenia. In parallel, developing economic relations with our country. This is a complex of problems and issues in which the economy, communications and security are mixed. And, without any doubt, all these common points that were discussed during the Pashinyan-Raisi meeting are of vital importance for Armenia. There are important signals coming from Tehran that need to be correctly perceived and analyzed in Yerevan," Voskanyan summed up.